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Feb; 3, 1931. s. P. SHACKLETON RELAY ARRANGEMENT Filed Dec.

16 other relays silmz'lw'to INVENTOR JIZJfiacZetmz/ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES SAMUEL r. SHACKLETON, or WYOMING, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORTO AMERICAN TELE- PATENT OFFICE 5 PHONE AND TELEGRAPH, COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK I is RELAY ARRANGEMENT Application filed December 17, 1 92 9. s r al No. 414,799.

This invention relates to relay arrangements. It provides means for "determining the failure of operation of the contacts'associated with the armatures of a relay. It also provides means for indicating the accidental orforeign grounding of theconductors leading to a relay, or. other conditions tending to interfere with the proper operation of one or more relays.

This invention will be better understood from the'detailed description hereinafter following, when read in connection with the ac,- companying drawing showing one embodiment of the invention merely for the purpose of illustration.

Referring to the drawing, a switch S is shown associated with the plurality of contacts located circularly about thefixed terminal of the switch as a center, the fixed terminal of the switch being grounded. When switch S closes the contact atthe extreme right, a relay R is operated, the completed circuit including a' battery B the winding of relay R switch'S, and ground. It is to 'be' noted that relay R is: normally unoperated. Relay R has a plurality of 'armatures, four of which are :shown for the sake of i1- lust'ration, with each of-which a cont-act is associated. All ofthe armatures of relay R are grounded in common. It'will be apparent that the contact associated. with each armature of relay R is normally open and becomes closed only when relay'R becomes operated. Thus, when relay R is operated all of its armatures-are simultaneously at tracted and all'of the associated contacts become closed. The contact associated with the second armature from the extreme left will be designated K l V q The armature of relay R associated with contact K controls the operation of a lplurality of relays only twoof which are shown and are designated R and R' One terminalof each of the windings of relays R and B respectively, isiconn'ecte d to 'contact K of relay R gfThe other terminal of each of these windings is connected to batteries-B and B respectively. The features of relay B will be desoribed' in' somewhat greater detail hereinafter, althoughit is to be unden stood that relay R; is similar all respects to relay R5 and that other similar relays are also connected to a conductor L which is directly connected to contact K of relay R The number of relays similar to the one des-.

ignated R which may be connected in the manner indicated, is determined in most part by the current carrying capacity of the contact Ki of relay R i l When contact K of relay R becomes closed, relay R operates, the completed'circuit including battery E the winding of'relay R contact K of relay R 'and its associated armature and ground. Relay'R 'ha-s four armatures all of which are grounded in common. It seems needless to say that when relayR becomes operated, all of its'armatures become attracted and close the associated contacts. However, relay R is normally unoperated and the contacts associated with its armatures are normally open.

Each of the contacts of relay R is directly connected, to one terminal of each of the windings of a plurality of similar relays. The four armatures of relay R which are shownin the'drawing, are directly connected to the windings of relays R and It' R and'Rg R and R' andR and R respectively. Grounded batteries are connected to the other terminal of each of these windings, and these batteries are designated B and B B and B3 B and B and B and'B respectively. All of these batteries' are preferably of the. same potential and are similarly poled, and may, if desired, bereplaced by a single battery of sufliciently large capacity. i

A relay R, is associated with the contacts of relay R Relay R has two similar wind ings and these are preferably wound 'in the same direction, The terminals of the upper winding of the relay R are directly connected to the contacts associatedwith the two armatures at the left of relay R respectively. The terminals of the lower winding of the relay R are similarly connected toathe' contacts associated 'with the "two armatures at the right ofrelay R I l i The'relay R has two armatures which are normallyim peratedyand bath of these v relay R matures are grounded. The contact asso-.

ciated with the upper of these armatures is directly connected to a ringer. or sounder designated C and a source of alternating current A which is grounded and which trans mits current of a frequency suitable to oper ate the ringer or sounder C. 'The contact associated with the lower of the armatures of relay R is connected in series with the filament of a lamp F and a battery 13. which is grounded. Itis to be understood that a relay similar to the one designated R and. a circuit similar to the one associated with the lower armature of this relay, maybe connected to the contacts provided by the armatures of relay R and. with each of the other :relays associated with the conductor L In'connection withthe relay-R it may be stated that each of the contacts controlled by each of its armatures terminates in an arrangement similar to the one shown in the drawing above relay R the arrangement includingrelaysB and R;','relays R to R inclusive, relays R and R inclusive, and It may also be stated that each of the conductors L L and L which extend from the contacts of switch S, may be connected to circuits similar to those shown in the drawing and described hereinabove, including a relay such as R and all of its related circuits. 7

Theterminals of the windingsof relay R areall directly connected to batteries: of the samepotential and of the same polarity, each through the winding of a relay such as R R R and-R If relay R is unoperated, relay R. will be unoperated and the contacts associatedwith the .armatures of relay R will be open. When relay R becomes operated, the armatures of relay R will close their associated contacts and ground willthenbe connected to each terminal of the windings of relay R Under ordinary conditions relay R will remain unoperated. If, however, there is a poor contact at, for example, K

the con-tactassociated with the first armature relay R to operate. Under these circumstances, current will flow frombattery B through the winding of relay R the upper winding of relay R the armature and contact at the extreme left of relay R and ground. Similarly,current will flow from battery B 31 through the winding of relay R and from any other batteries'through corresponding relays associated with the conductor tied to contact K Then both of the armaturesof relay R will be simultaneously attracted, closing their associated contacts. The closure of the upper contact will permit current to flow from source A through the a ringer or sounder C, causingan audible alarm.

Closure of the lower contact of relay R will permit 'current to flow from battery B. through the lamp F, causing a visual signal. These visual and audible. signals will apprise the operator of an unsatisfactory condition which may be traced to a faulty contactat K of relay R 7 Y Assuming now that the contacts associated with the various relays of the arrangement shown in the drawing and described hereinabove, are not faulty, and that all of the relays areunoperated, an accidental or foreign ground at one of the conductors associated with-the contacts of relay R will cause the alarm circuits associated with relay R. to become operated. Forthe sake of illustration an'accidental or foreign ground may be assumed to occur at thepoint designated G, the grounded condition being shown by dotted lines. The grounded condition at G will cause all of the relays associated with the grounded conductor to become falsely operated. Those relays designated R and R will therefore attract their respective armatures, and the upper winding of relay R will become energized due to the flow ofcurrent from battery B through the winding of relay R the upper winding-of relaylt and the ground designated G. It willbeapparent that current will flow from battery B through the winding of relay R53 and from similar current sources through windings of correspondingLrelays associated with the conductor tiedto the contact at the extreme left of relay R Thus, the device O will be sounded and the lamp vF will provide the -re quired visual indication. Similarly the device C will be sounded and thelamp F lit if anyone of the pair of conductors associated with either of the windings of relay R becomes grounded.

While this invention has been shown and described in one merely for the purpose of illustration,,it is to be clearly understood that the principles of this invention maybe appliedtoother and widelyvaried organizations without .de parting from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What isclaimed is 1. The combination of a first relay having two armatures both of which are grounded and two associated contacts, a'second relay the winding of which is connected to the two contacts of the firstrelay neans for applying equal potentials of the same polarity to both terminals of the winding of the second relay, and-an alarm circuit controlled by the secondrelay. 1-

'2. The combination of a first relay having four armatures all of which are grounded, a second relay having two windings each 0011- particular embodimentnected to the two contacts associated with two of the armatures of the first relay, a sources of potential applied incommon to the various terminals of both windings of the second relay, and an alarm circuit controlled by the second relay.

3. A testing system comprising a first relay having four armatures all of which are grounded and four associated contacts, a second relay having two windings the four terminals of which are directly connected respectively to the Various contacts of the first relay, a source of direct current potential, four impedance elements connected respectively between the source of direct current potential and the four contacts of the first relay, and an alarm circuit controlled by the second relay.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 16th day of December, 1929.

SAMUEL P. SHACKLETON. 

